Automobile window operating mechanism

ABSTRACT

An improved mounting for a window pane on the raising and lowering mechanism, especially useful in automotive vehicles.

United States Patent Kouth et a1.

AUTOMOBILE WINDOW OPERATING MECHANISM Inventors: Herbert Kouth, Schoneck; Hans Dauernheim, Sprendlingen, both of Germany Assignee: H. T. Golde GmbH, Frankfurt Germany Filed: Mar. 4, 1974 Appl. No.: 447,802

U.S. Cl. 49/352 Int. Cl. EOSF 11/48 Field of Search 49/352, 227 375 Aug. 5, 1975 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,427,748 2/1969 Marr 49/352 3,831,320 8/1974 Dauernheim ct al. 49/352 Primary E.\'aminer Ken neth Downey [5 7] ABSTRACT An improved mounting for a window pane on the raising and lowering mechanism, especially useful in auto motive vehicles.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures AUTOMOBILE WINDOW OPERATING MECHANISM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention concerns a device for the connection of the flexible cable of a cable window lifter, rigid to push and pull, movably guided in a guiding tube provided with a longitudinal slot, with a movable windowpane, especially with a windowpane capable of being lowered into the body of a motor vehicle. The windowpane is connected to a sliding or rolling carriage which is guided on a central guide bar by means of a flange attached to the cable and projecting through the longi tudinal slot. The guide bar and the guiding tube are mutually connected to form a single unit. In cable window lifters, a gear box is constructed on the guiding tube in a place suited for manipulation, in which the pinion of a gear drive gears into the cable by the method of rackand-pinion drive. Manual or electromotive turning of the pinion causes a displacement of the cable in the guide tube and thereby a displacement of the windowpane.

The connection of the cable with the windowpane is effected through a so-called engaging piece which interlocks with the cable, specifically between the strands of the cable, on one side, and is connected to the sliding or rolling carriage over the already mentioned flange on the other, which is itself detachably connected to a lifting bar usually mounted on the lower edge of the windowpane by suitable means.

In this widely used type of window lifter, the guiding tube equipped with a longitudinal slot at least in the range of the path of the engaging piece is constructed as a metal pipe attached in the window compartment in such a way that the length of the cable along the path of the engaging piece adjusts itself according to the direction of movement and the curvature of the windowpane. The central guide bar provided in the initially described type of mechanism used to raise and lower the window as the sole or additional guideway has to receive an exactly matching alignment, if malfunctions such as difficult movement are to be prevented. As the engaging piece or pieces are attached to the sliding or rolling carriage, rigidly connected with the windowpane and guided on the guide bar with little tolerance between it and the bar, a very exact parallel alignment of the lateral slot in the tube and the guideways on the guide bar with respect to the side windowpane guideways is important. The guiding tube and the guide bar which are, primarily to simplify assembly, connected together to form a (single) unit must, for this purpose, be connected together in an exact parallel alignment. In addition, this unit consisting of the guiding tube and the guide bar must yet be exactly aligned in parallel with the side windowpane guideways, if such guideways exist in that particular version of the mechanism.

In practice it became clear that this parallel alignment which is necessary can be achieved in series and- /or mass production only with considerable difficulties and considerable expenditures.

Here, isolated adjustments are often necessary. The parallel alignment of the unit guiding tube/guide bar alone presents considerable difficulties, especially when the guiding tube and guide bar are bent correspondingly with the curvature of the windowpane, because in the course of that bending, the longitudinal crossection of the guiding tube twists slightly, similarly LII to a spiral with a very large slope, around the axis of the pipe, and therefore cannot be aligned exactly parallel to the guideways of the guide bar. These difficulties increase to an uncontrollable extent, when, subject to fin ishing and/or assembly tolerances in the construction of the door of the motor vehicle, an exact parallel alignment of the unit to the side guideways can be effected only with great effort or not at all. Possible deviations between the windowpane and the unit, especially curvature deviations, can make the problem of an exact alignment of all guiding surfaces even greater, As the door of the motor vehicle with its side guideways, if indeed it does possess them, is usually manufactured in the car factory, while the unit consisting of the guiding tube and the guide bar which is a part of the window lifter is usually manufactured in the construction plant of a subcontractor and the windowpane in the plant of another subcontractor, the compatibility of the dimensions of the parts which are to be combined is a techical problem of the first order.

The object of the invention is to eliminate these shortcomings, and to disclose a device of the initially described type, in the case of which less regard has to be given to an exact parallel alignment of the parts during the assembly of the guide bar and the guiding tube to form a unit as well as during the installation of this unit into a motor vehicle door.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accord with the invention, this problem is solved by providing an opening in a part connected with the windowpane, in which is engaged a moulded member rigidly mounted on the flange, with a transfer element with play in the direction at right angles to the axis of the cable, but with little clearance in the direction of the axis of the cable. This moulded member possesses a flange component connected to the transfer element projecting at least on two opposite sides over the transfer element and the corresponding side edges of the opening.

By this simple but effective method, it is dependably insured that the deviations from the exact parallel alignment between the guiding tube and guide bar during the lifting of the window automatically correct themselves, whereby the moulded member orients it self in the opening perpendicular to the axis of the cable, according to the degree of the parallelism deviation. As the mobility of the moulded member connected with the engaging piece relative to the opening, which is for example located in the sliding or rolling carriage, extends in the horizontal direction parallel to the door of the motor vehicle, as well as in the vertical direction, the device in accordance with the invention can simultaneously correct parallelism errors between the unit (consisting of guiding tube and guide bar) and the possible present side guideways, in lateral direction to the door. This relative mobility of the moulded member approximately vertically to the windowpane can also simultaneously compensate for parallelism deviations between the windowpane and the guiding surfaces of the unit.

The preferred construction according to the invention has the flange component of the moulded member projecting over the opening in the direction of the axis of the cable, and a minimum of clearance between the opening and the transfer element on those edges. Also, the preferred embodiment shows the face of the flange component contacting the sliding or rolling carriage to be chamfered from a longitudinal center line. This chamfer makes possible a correction of the twisting of the longitudinal slot which sometimes occurs during the bending of the guiding tube since the moulded member can then be rotated a limited degree about the axis of the cable.

For ease of attachment of the moulded member to the flange of the engaging piece, the moulded member is equipped with a receiving slot for the flange of the engaging piece passing through it and expanding stepwise inside it, so that on one side the flange is superimposed on the stepwise expansion of the opening with the help of barbs, on the other side it is lying against the transfer element with shoulders attached to the flange.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is the schematic and partially cut open outside view of a motor vehicle door with a built-in cable window lifter and a central guide bar, whereby the connection between the cable and the windowpane is developed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a section along the line lIII in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section along the line IIIIII in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a part-view of the device according to the invention in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 2', and

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the moulded member drawn in perspective.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the case of the motor vehicle door 1 shown in FIG. 1, only the rear edge of the windowpane 2 is laterally guided along the entire height of lift in the rear moulding of the window frame 3 while the front edge of the windowpane leaves its molding of the window frame 3 by a small downward displacement of the windowpane from its closed position. For this reason, a central guide bar 4 made from stamped sheet metal is attached in the window compartment on the (here not shown) metal plate forming the inside of the door. The lower edge 5 of the windowpane indicated by a dotted line illustrates the closed position, while the dot-dash-dot representation of the windowpane 2 presents a lower open position. On a flank 6 of the guide bar 4 oriented at right angles to the windowpane 2 a movable slide carriage 7 is guided with the help of sliding contacts 8 attached to It.

To prevent a lifting of the slide carriage 7 from the guide bar 4, the flank 6 is equipped on its end with a projection 9 formed parallel to the slide carriage 7, and is located with some play parallel to the windowpane in an undercut groove 10 in the sliding contacts 8. The sliding contacts 8 are guided with guide surfaces 11 and 12 facing each other on the thickness of the metal of the flank 6 with little clearance between them and the flank. The slide carriage 7 the construction of which in itself is known, is attached in an also known fashion, specifically with the help of the lifting bar 13 and lifting bond I4 which are drawn in with dot-dash-dot lines, on the lower edge 5 of the windowpane 2.

Of the also known cable window lifter, which does not require any further explanation at this point, only the guiding tube 15, the gear box I6 equipped with a crank handle 17, the cable 18, and the engaging piece I9 are drawn in. The guiding tube 15 is equipped at least in the range where it passed parallel to the guide lit bar 4 with the lateral slot 20 and rigidly attached parallel or approximately parallel with the flank 6 to the guide bar 4, for example by spot welding,

The moulded member generally labeled 22 is mounted on the flange 21 of the engaging piece 19 projecting through the lateral slot 20. The moulded member 22 is provided for this purpose with the receiving slot 23 passing through it (FIG. 5), which ends in the stepwise widening 24 (FIGS. 2 and 4). The barbs 25 projecting outward from the flange 21 make the sliding on of the moulded member on the flange possible, since they elastically expand the receiving slot 23, however they lock after they enter the widening 24, because they spread out. Thereby, the moulded member 22 is attached between shoulders 26 (FIG. 3) and the barbs 25 onto the flange 21.

The moulded member 22, which is for example cast from an abrasion-proof plastic material, is engaged with its transfer element 27 inside the opening 28 located on the slide carriage 7.

As FIGS. 2 to 4 demonstrate, the transfer element 27 and the opening 28 are so dimensioned, that there is little or no clearance between them in the direction of the axis of the cable 18, to prevent end play of the cable window lifter, while at right angles to the axis of the cable, enough play has been provided for the desired cor rection of parallelism deviations between guiding tube 15 and/or its lateral slot 20 and the flank 6 on one hand and the unit consisting of the guiding tube 15 and the guide bar 4 and the side mouldings of the window frame 3 on the other. Under play at right angles to the axis of the cable, play of the transfer element 27 relative to the opening 28 perpendicular to the slide carriage 7 and to windowpane 2, as well as play parallel to the slide carriage 7 and windowpane 2 is understood within the scope of this invention. In addition, tilt movements between the slide carriage 7 and moulded member 22 caused by twisting of the lateral slot 20 are to be interpreted as movements within the concept of play at right angles (to the cable axis).

The flange component 29 of the moulded member 22 is chamfered on that side which faces the slide carriage 7, so that apex 30 lying on an axis parallel to the axis of the cable, is formed on both sides of the transfer element 27, as can be best seen in FIG. 5. This apex 30 makes the mentioned tilt movements which serve to correct possible direction errors of the lateral slot 20 in guiding tube 15 possible.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for the connection of a flexible cable, of a cable window lifter rigid to push and pull movably guided in a guiding tube provided with a longitudinal slot, to a sliding or rolling carriage itself guided on a central guide bar, whereby the guide bar and the guiding tube are combined to form a unit, said sliding or rolling carriage being connected to a movable window pane, especially a window pane which can be lowered into the body of a motor vehicle, characterized by the fact that an opening 28 is provided in said carriage 7 connected to the window pane 2, an engaging piece secured to the cable and having a flange 21 extending through the opening 28, a moulded member 22 rigidly mounted on the flange 21, said moulded member having a transfer portion extending through the opening 28 transfer portion and overlies the end edges of the opening whereby said connecting device compensates for slight misalignments in the cable window lifter.

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the flange component 29 is equipped with an apex 30 in areas projecting in the direction of the cable, facing the carriage 7 and parallel to the axis of the cable 18.

3. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the 

1. A device for the connection of a flexible cable, of a cable window lifter rigid to push and pull movably guided in a guiding tube provided with a longitudinal slot, to a sliding or rolling carriage itself guided on a central guide bar, whereby the guide bar and the guiding tube are combined to form a unit, said sliding or rolling carriage being connected to a movable window pane, especially a window pane which can be lowered into the body of a motor vehicle, characterized by the fact that an opening 28 is provided in said carriage 7 connected to the window pane 2, an engaging piece secured to the cable and having a flange 21 extending through the opening 28, a moulded member 22 rigidly mounted on the flange 21, said moulded member having a transfer portion extending through the opening 28 dimensioned to have play at right angles to the cable but little clearance in the direction of the cable and a flange portion 29 which projects beyond the ends of the transfer portion and overlies the end edges of the opening whereby said connecting device compensates for slight misalignments in the cable window lifter.
 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the flange component 29 is equipped with an apex 30 in areas projecting in the direction of the cable, facing the carriage 7 and parallel to the axis of the cable
 18. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that the moulded member 22 is equipped with a receiving slot 23 passing through it, and expanding stepwise in the moulded member, intended for the flange 21, which is on one side sitting on the stepwise widening 24 with barbs 25 and on the other side lying on the transfer element 27 with shoulders 26 attached to the flange. 